Governors Island

Governors Island is a 172-acre island in New York Harbor, located 800 yards from the southern tip of Manhattan and 400 yards from Brooklyn. The Lenape named the island Paggank ("nut island") after its hickory, oak, and chestnut trees, and the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block called it "Nutten Island". During the British colonial era, the colonial assembly reserved it for the exclusive use of New York's royal governors, and its modern name, "Governors Island", was made official in 1784. In 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Army raised defensive works on the island and fired on the British ships before the British captured the island. From 1783 to 1966, it was a US Army post, and, from 1966 to 1996, it was a major US Coast Guard installation. From 2012 to 2016, a 43-acre public park was built on the island.